Album: Metallica
Genre: Heavy/ Thrash Metal, Hard Rock
Release Date: August 12, 1991
Description: Being the 5th in the band's catalog, this album (commonly referred to as The Black Album) brings a more radio ready sound to the lineup. The band found themselves wanting to explore a new production style with the album. Following the success of several other bands (including Mötley Crüe with Dr. Feelgood) they pushed for Producer Bob Rock.
The band decided simplicity was a big factor in this record. With previously recorded material, they felt they had some longer songs that just wasn't what they were going for this time around. The group decided that with this album they wanted a “get the point across method” with their songs. Something that didn't drag on and only took two minutes and two riffs to play. Hatfield took from his life experiences to really dig deep into the lyrics this time around. From nightmares discussed in Enter Sandman, to discussing the loss of his mother and her beliefs in The God That Failed, the band was really becoming a more well-rounded recording group. Even missing his girlfriend while on tour, as in Nothing Else Matters, made this evident.
Favorite Track: The God That Failed
Reason: The dark tale of this song rings strong. Expressing the torment of losing his mother to cancer, Hatfield reflects on her refusal to seek modern medicine and instead rely on her faith to be her only source of healing. The solo work on this song stems from several sessions of recording in two whole octaves (rather than the originally sought after harmonic styling). Another great part of this song is the fact that in the inception of this track, they actually tuned a half-step down for what is a first of many original recordings.
Album Rating: 8.0/10
This is definitely a great album for the band. The snappier approach to songwriting and composition is a much welcomed breath of fresh air. Although I find myself not always moving toward metal music, this is a fun album to listen to with the many straightforward rhythms and instrumentals. The lyrics are a story for any listener to enjoy while also banging your head along to the heavy styling that follows. Overall, this album is another success for the band and certainly spun off some great singles for them to get some much-needed representation on the charts!
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